The invention relates to the field of telephone headsets and more particularly to telephone headsets having an ear support.
Telephone headsets permit the use of a telephone microphone and earphone while freeing the user""s hands for other activities such as note taking and computer keyboard entry. The earliest forms of headsets included an earphone portion which included an over-the-head band which positioned a speaker adjacent the ear of a user and a microphone portion which rested on the user""s chest and which included a xe2x80x9chornxe2x80x9d to conduct sound from the user""s mouth to the microphone. As the technology progressed, the headsets became smaller and lighter and the modern headset now includes a ear support portion which rests on the ear of a user and which positions an earphone against the ear of a user without the use of an over-the-head band. The microphone portion of a modern headset may include a microphone at the end of a boom attached to the ear support, or alternatively the microphone may be positioned within the ear support and sound brought to it from the user""s mouth by way of a hollow boom.
The concern today is to make the headset as non-intrusive and comfortable as possible. In such an attempt to make the new headsets more comfortable, the ear support has been contoured to better fit between the pinna of the ear and the mastoid process of the skull and has been made to adjust to a wide variety of ear sizes. However, the boom microphone and the electrical cable apply torques to the ear support which tends to dislodge the headset from the ear of the wearer. This tendency reduces the comfort level of the wearer.
The present invention provides a headset in which the ear support is adjustable to fit a variety of ear sizes without affecting the balance of the ear support on the ear of the wearer.
The invention relates to telephone headsets having an ear support, earphone and boom microphone. In one embodiment the headset is configured with an adjustable ear support to fit a variety of ear sizes without affecting the balance of the ear support on the ear of the wearer. One aspect of the invention is that the ear support includes a rotational hinge which is biased into a given position by a compression washer, thereby providing a durable joint.
Another aspect of the invention is that the earphone is removably and adjustably attached to a mounting ring. The earphone includes a housing which includes detents which engage a channel in the mounting ring to permit the earphone to rotate within the mounting ring.
Yet another aspect of the invention is that the mounting ring is movably attached to the ear support by a spring biased ball and socket joint. The combination of flexible joints and removability of the earphone provides the degrees of freedom necessary to permit the earphone to be worn comfortably on either ear of the wearer. The earphone is biased toward the plane of the head to provide good acoustic coupling with the ear.
Still another aspect of the invention is that a strain relief for the electrical connections is attached to the earphone which directs the electrical connections toward the plane of the head. This configuration eliminates a torque which otherwise would tend to dislodge the ear support from the ear of the wearer.
Still yet another aspect of the invention is that the earphone housing, which is sized for the ear, includes a series of openings in its rear surface to maximize its acoustic performance.
Another aspect of the invention is that the boom microphone includes a spring biased ball and socket joint to movably fix the orientation of the microphone with respect to the wearer. The boom microphone ball and socket joint is configured with a tab and stop to prohibit 360 degree rotation of the boom thereby to prevent strain on the electrical connections to the microphone. The spring biased ball and socket joint provides long-term position retention.